7/30/22, 6:06 PM - I'm drinking this now and with a 2hr decant its drinking pretty nicely. Tannins are a little drying and dominant but super aromatic long lasting finish. Glad I have 3 more left, because today gave me hope for this wine
12/20/19, 3:12 PM - Like always love your comments, but the only wine in your list with a similar price point is Scarlett Reserve. I just had this wine today and it has fruit, acid and tannins to last another 20 years. This wine has crazy structure, question is can we be patient enough.
4/8/19, 11:07 AM - I think you are right. I've had a really hard time gauging when to drink Mike's single vineyards. Two years ago I opened a 2012 12c G3 and it didn't budge at all. Had the same bottle 3 week ago and it was delicious with a quick decant.I think the 15s will be sleeping for about a year. Its a little frustrating when you open a bottle and you know it should be better, but it's part of the fun. :)
4/7/19, 5:05 PM - It's interesting because as bad as 2011 was in Napa it is equivalent to an average to good year in Bordeaux. I have found some great gems in 2011 for next to nothing and the common denominator is that wine makers with Bordeaux experience knew how to handle the conditions and those who didn't have it just fell on their faces.... Mountain fruit was a little more forgiving but the valley separated the men from the boys. Aaron's wine are some of my favorites in this vintage. If you like this look for Spottswoode, Dunn, Kapcsandy and Dalla Valle to name a few....great 2011 values
4/6/19, 6:28 PM - Very good note Crystal2000. Good value for the vineyard even if a little too primary at the moment.
4/6/19, 6:24 PM - My palate lines up closer to the traditional Napa, more Red fruit, slightly racier acidity and I look for more nuance and evolution over time. I opened my first bottle of the Quivet Las Piedras and it felt a very primary and a little short, but it's definitely not an 88. The quality of the fruit is impecable, very good integration of tannins and good balance acidity. It got better and more interesting with air so I'm sure it will be better in a couple more years. No way this is an 88, even if your palate prefers a different style this is not a point lower than 92 with a 3 points of aging upside.
2/15/19, 6:59 PM - Agree 100%. Both Scarlett and Quivet have touches of red fruit and seem to have a more textured mouthfeel.
2/7/19, 5:52 PM - Did you find the bottle outside or actually visit Wheeler Farms? I was wondering if you visited and tasted Accendo, the new Araujo project.
2/5/19, 3:43 PM - 1 1/2 Benjamins is a very painful flawed bottle. Ouch
1/5/19, 7:04 PM - Im drinking my first bottle of O'SHAUGHNESSY, and it is the 2013. I let it slow ox for 3 hrs and decanted for 2 and it was open for business on the glass but a little closed on the palate. Now after 3 in the decanter its firing on all cylinders but the finish is a little too dominated by tannins.The fruit, acid, tannins mix on this wine is perfect for aging, but if you don't mind a mouth drying finish from tannins it's drinking pretty well now.
12/31/18, 6:13 PM - I just had a bottle for my New Year's Eve dinner and I agree with all your notes. Definitely more savory and not as fruit forward as the GIII or the NV nice spicry notes and finish but the tannins in my bottle were pretty dominating. I think this is a wine that will drink better on 2020-2021 than now.
12/31/18, 9:32 AM - Thanks for the note...was thinking of opening their BTK today...looks like I'll be holding this one back
12/13/18, 2:51 PM - Aaron is like the anti-matter of Napa winemakers. A lot of the '12 I've been drinking feel a little flabby but all Pott wines have a really solid backbone. I had this bottle last week and after a 6 hour decant it hit it's stride. Must be that Troplong Mondot in his background
9/30/18, 11:55 AM - Good to know...just got a nice web offer for 39.00.
9/21/18, 11:31 PM - I always put the cork back in the bottle and the bottle back in the cellar overnight.Cheers
8/26/18, 6:16 PM - The acidit on this wine and fruit level tells me that it is a ver ageable wine. Like you I found this much balanced on day 2. I have three bottles left, so I'll either double decant for 3-4 hour or wait a couple years. One thing is certain; the improvement from day 1 to 2 tells me it has a lot of potential.
8/28/18, 4:46 PM - I have to say that when I started drinking Venge, I did not think that they were lomg term ageable wines but I'm pleasantly surprised. I had a 2010 Bone Ash last week with a friend, and Man..was it good.
8/26/18, 8:06 PM - Wine Grove, I have one left and holding out for at least another year. I just had the 15 and it was also very good a deal built for the long haul
8/17/18, 7:27 PM - Badmonkey, this wine is drinking great now but the fact about the Merlot component is an interesting tidbit. I was detecting a slightly higher red fruit and floral component than I'm used to with Myriad and that explains it.
8/17/18, 9:27 PM - I agree, I've been drinking the bottle for about 2 hrs now and I'm getting a little bitter, slightly astringent tanic finish which I would guess comes from the Petite Verdot. Is still good but I was wondering what was different this year. Which I had one more bottle of this NV Myriad to compare with the '16
7/21/18, 2:25 PM - I was out there Thursday...ended up buying a 3 pack
6/9/18, 2:26 PM - Very good note. Had a similar experience last night. The one thing I'll add is that the real ABV must high, because after polishing a bottle last night I was feeling it this morning and that never happens. :)
5/26/18, 6:34 PM - Crystal, would you pay 100 bucks for this wine?
5/29/18, 11:33 AM - Tks for the insight. Im a Bordeaux fan but most Napa BDX types tend to be heavy on the acid but there are a few that have mastered the balance between fruit, acid earthy/savory tones. Dennis Malbec was very good at this. If HL has a similar style to Blankiet, Dominus..then it may be worth it for me.
5/26/18, 6:58 PM - Badmonkey,. Michael Dunn, Randy's son has started to take over the production so, like the 13 they will be more approachable early but will still be much better after bottle aging.I'm drinking 2005 Dunn now and it's awesome, but again it's totally different than any of Mike's wines. I would put Dunn in the same category maybe a half notch below Spottswoode. You can find older Dunn's in auction for decent prices if you want to give them a shot. 2003 (2hr decant),2005(2hr decant), 2007 (4hr decant), 2010 (4hr decant) and 2011 (slow ox and 1hr decant) are drinking great now.
4/18/18, 4:57 PM - I'm cruising in the Caribbean and opened my last bottle of 14 Pott NV. Let it slow Ox for 3 hours and then had the restaurant decant. After slow Ox it was a little barnyardie, but after 30 mins in the decanter it started to sing. Even now this wine needs a lot of air to open up nothing has changed just like my first bottle, but I can tell you that my last 2 glasses were as seamless as it gets.
4/17/18, 6:55 PM - This is my favorite 2014 Mike Smith wine!
1/14/18, 6:33 PM - Right on with the notes. I was shocked when I started tasting red fruit halfway through the bottle.
12/1/17, 5:05 PM - Alright... opening this tonight. By the way, Pride Cab is very basic and disappointing for.the price IMO. Their reserve is a whole different level and so very good.
12/2/17, 8:03 AM - Hi csimm...ir wasn't bad but it must be going through a transitional phase. I expect tannins bfrom GIII, but more dusty and fine, the good thing for this wine is that there is still plenty of fruit up front to give me hope that it will balance out. Also, I flew on a red-eye yesterday so fell asleep while drinking the last glass and when I woke up 3 hours later and finished my glass it had smoothed out and gained some extra weight in the mid palate. Maybe it's the 14's because I had a similar experience with the 14 Venge Bone Ash, which is very uncharacteristic for that wine.
12/1/17, 8:25 PM - I think this wine is an exception to Mike's wines. The tannins are so strong that I think they need another year to 2 in order to settle and integrate. It started a little hot, but after some air, the alcohol died and the tannins took over. I have 1 bottle left, and hopefully I will wait 12-24 months before I drink it. I am so biased towards Quivet NV that its not even funny. next year I'm buying a case because at the price point, it is by far my favorite.
11/19/17, 8:29 PM - Hey Badmonkey,I'm just finishing a bottle of this wine on day 3...and it is much better than day1. The fruit dies a little mid palate but other than that not much to complain.
11/11/17, 8:35 AM - Hi Csimm..this vintage is a little sweeter than normal and it drinks flabby at first but give it air, 2-3 hour decant, and it is a big Merlot. Tons of tenic structure, and enough acidA little pricy,...but consistent
11/11/17, 11:39 AM - I just got my '15 Myriad and Quivet. Good to know about the Dr Crane. Pahlmeyer are just ver consistent, but they are getting a little too pricey. Their Proprietary Red is always really good but based on our conversation in Napa it would be like Mike's 12C, a little more red fruit driven and a little more nuance. I had a 1995 Pahlmeyer a few weeks ago and it was awesome.. unfortunately it's hard to impossible for me to hold them that long.Starting to plan my next trip to Napa, will let you know to see if we can match schedules to taste.
9/19/17, 4:14 PM - Crystal/csimm: Based on these reviews, I would think you recommend buying at least a 3 pack?
9/20/17, 3:57 PM - Thanks for the feedback Cristal2000 and CSimm.Trick question for both of you since you have reviewed both of these wines. :) If you had limited wine storage as I do and had to pick between a 3 pack of 15' Ontogeny or pack 14 Outpost Estate Cab, what would you do? Every year I'll buy something new that I have not had and have narrowed down to these two.
8/19/17, 6:07 PM - I'm having the '11 tonight. After 2 hrs slow Oxit tasted like a red Burgandy, but one more hour of slow Ox and pouring through a Venturi made this wine pop. Unfortunately for Perry this wines can be found at really good prices in the secondary market and auctions. I've had every vintage of this wine since 2010 and it's always very good and elegant. Maybe I'll pop the '13 soon.
8/16/17, 7:59 PM - I've been looking for Pott's SVD's and can't find them anywhere. It's my first time buying Potts wines so by the time I got my allocation the SVDs we're all gone. Hopefully I'll get some of the '15s
8/16/17, 7:01 PM - The '12 is finally open for business!
4/1/17, 8:26 PM - Yackman and csimm; Have any of you guys had Dominus? How would you compare Spottswoode's style to Dominus. I came across a pretty good deal on '13 Spottswoode, but not sure if I should pull the he trigger since I've never had it. I like contemporary Napa but I really appreciate the old Napa and Bordeaux styles like Dominus and even Dunn.
4/1/17, 10:20 PM - Thanks csimm! That is helpful, because even in a good deal spending over $140/bottle is no joke so I would expect a level of complexity and expression that doesn't appear to be a part of this bottling of Spottswoode. It would be great if I could get a free taste before buying this, but getting feedback regarding bottles with which you have little/no experience will a what make CT great! :)
8/15/17, 4:38 PM - For whatever is worth, I had the '11 a month ago and I found it to be one of the prettiest, most elegant Napa wines I've had. Now I'm scooping up every bottle I can find. I've paid between $70 and $110....IMHO it's a deal!Similar to Dunn, I had the 2001 last week and it was delicious. The 11 is an exception, due to the vintage bit I would think a 13 Spottswoode would need 10 yrs to peak and and most of my CAT friends don't have neither the patience or space to lay a bottle down before tasting it
8/14/17, 3:53 PM - I was in Chile last year and passed a the chance to visit Almaviva purely because of price. They wanted $130 per bottle and $75 to taste. In your opinion, is this wine worth trying for $90 per bottle?
8/15/17, 8:15 AM - Thanks for the feedback, I'll buy a bottle and try it. I am a fan of several Chilean wines, but personally was not a big fan of the Chilean wine experience. Felt very Disney World and expensive compared to even Napa, Mendoza, or France.Surprisingly, South American wines are cheaper in the US than in country. I like Don Melchor, which I can get at Costco for $75 while they want about $115 in Chile. Pretty crazy...the same goes for Achaval Ferrer, Catena Zapata and others. wine-searcher.com is my friend.
6/30/17, 6:52 PM - This is hands down the best QPR of MS's wines. Unlike Myriad or even Quivet this wine has really good aging potential.In this price range, I just cannot say enough good things about this wine.
6/30/17, 11:53 PM - Cristal2000, I did forget about Ontogeny which is not hard to do since all of Bevan wines are $195 and up, :) but it is really good. I've never had Outpost, but it is on my list of wines to try this year. I started buying Mike's wines in 2014 and when I had the Myriad GIII it was totally closed down, but I'm hoping it will be as good as advertised when I open my next bottle.Cristal & Csimm,. Have you guys had the Scarlett Reserve? What has been you experience and is it worth twice the price?
6/30/17, 11:57 PM - csimm, I came late to the Realm party and you are right with the Bard. Unfortunately the prices have been going up pretty dramatically. 2015 yields were pretty low so I wonder how much their prices will increase this year.
7/1/17, 9:13 AM - Thanks csimm, I'll pick up a couple bottles of the 15 when it comes out. This sounds like a similar story to Becklyn's Moulds Reserve. While the regular Becklyn drinks great early the Reserve needs to be laid down.
6/30/17, 6:39 PM - I just had my 2nd bottle of Scarlett and this is by far the best QPR of any Mike Smith or Napa Valley wine. Love the deep fruity and licorice nose, with a velvety smooth front palate, round and deep mid palate, with nice and juicy but balanced acidity and a those Rutherford dust tannins that lead to a long deep finish. If I had to get picky I would say the tannins get a little grainy and grippy, but when you factor the price and the fact that this wine is a baby I have not found a better wine for the price. Should have bought more
5/13/17, 8:20 PM - Ageverette, I agree with you that this wine does grow on you over time. It is tempting to compare this wine to Quivet NV but they are so different. I'm new to Pott's wine but I believe this wine has much less new Oak than Quivet or Myriad and the grapes spend less time in maceration.Pott feels like he has a more traditional Bordeaux style with Napa fruit while Mike has a more new Napa style. I enjoy both styles but they Re just different. Anyhow, this turned out to be a really nice and interesting wine even if a little alcoholic. I will do my best to leave my other bottles corked for at least 6 more months.Csimm... no worry, the wine is very good even if I don't think it may be you "go to" style.
5/13/17, 8:36 AM - csimm & cristal200Wineacces.com is selling this wine for $115 and shipping included with no minimum. I may pick up at least 2
4/25/17, 11:14 AM - Most wines of Mike's wines that I've tasted come from vineyards north of Oakville where is warmer and the fruit gets more ripe. Moulds I believe is in Oaknoll where together with Yauntville wines seem to be a little higher in acid more red/ black, boysenberry fruit and mineral and tipically require more cellar time. I think the difference is the origin of the fruit more than wine making.When I had this with the texture, structure and balance are there but the fruit is hiding. Hopefully in 1 more year this should be ready to enter the drinking window. IMO, I would put this in the same cellaring category as Blankiet or Kapcsandy...all use southern Napa fruit and are not at their best early
4/17/17, 10:45 PM - Cristal2000- When I tasted with Juan a few months ago, the Farella showed the best. The texture and depth of favor were almost perfect, on that day it showed much better than the Moonracer.
4/15/17, 6:11 PM - Hey csimm, is this wine made by the old Merus wine maker?
4/17/17, 5:46 PM - Thanks for the info. I knew the name sounded familiar. I used to like Merus when he was the winemaker but after they were acquired the Merus winemaker is the same as Kuleto which is good but just not as good as it used to be.I did look at the Herold wine website and you are right about the white label; $200 a bottle is in a very exclusive bracket; not buying with out tasting it first. Maybe I'll try to visit them on my next trip.
4/16/17, 7:02 PM - Did you notice this wine to be a little on the sweet side and low on acid? Ive had the 11 & 12 since they made the switch to the 100% Cab for Jayson and it has felt a little flabby compared to the Pahlmeyer. Hopefully they fixed this on the 13's
3/30/17, 7:43 PM - Thanks csimm, this has been an interesting wine to follow. It drinks so easy and it's so good that it's not hard to blow through a six pack. I have one left and will do my best to wait a little longer. :)
3/30/17, 7:28 PM - On a side note; even though the wine is pretty good when I visited the winery outside if Santiago Chile, it was probably the worst winery experience I've ever had and I've visited many. I used to love Don Melchor but that visit turned me away.
3/30/17, 7:24 PM - I thought this Myriad NV was 100% Cab. Interesting.
3/15/17, 5:15 PM - Interesting note on the Merlot. I haven't had the 13 yet, but normally I slow Ox this wine. The cabs I decant for about 1 hr and drink it.Big fan of Pahlmeyer Merlot, their 11 was one of the best wines of the vintage IMO.
2/22/17, 11:09 AM - Damn.... Reading this thread makes me feel inferior. I brought 6 bottles last week at Realm and feel like I spent a crap load. I think I need to hit Pittsburgh and help #1winelover thin the cellar. :)2 '14 Farella (my favorite)2 '14 Bard2 '08 Tempest (drinking amazingly)
2/23/17, 8:18 AM - #1Winelover-In all seriousness, lets try to meet up this year after harvest, once the tourist clear out. We can exchange contact info later and start planning.
3/15/17, 3:37 PM - Whats going on in April? LOLI agree with csimm, but if you can't wait then let it sit in the cellar for 4 weeks to stabilize the wine from the trip and start with The Bard (if you have any) after you give it some air. Farella was also drinking really well, but I wouldn't touch Moonracer or any of the other wines. Too expensive to not let them reach full potential.
3/14/17, 7:11 PM - Lewis is made in a similar style as the Pahlmeyer Napa Chardonnay. Big in your face with viscous heavy mouth feel...They both try to imitate a Montrachet, but whether it's the fruit, wine making skill or terroir they can never get enough minerality and acidity to balance the heavy oak treatment.Like you said, IMO, these are sipping wines that don't pair well with food.
3/14/17, 7:04 PM - LOL...Love the hamster cage reference.
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